Team Works To Prevent Chemical Catastrophes

August 11, 1987|By PATTI ROTH, Staff Writer

PLANTATION -- When a chemical emergency forces everyone to flee for safety, the hazardous materials team heads for the danger zone.

Last month, it was a tank that was leaking a highly caustic liquid at a city utilities plant. In September, it was a room filled with deadly cyanide vapors at a manufacturing plant where fire sprinklers caused three tanks with toxic solutions to overflow.

In Broward County, seven fire departments have hazardous materials teams. Of these, only Coral Springs and Plantation are staffed with volunteers.

``If this was a paid department, we probably would not have a hazardous materials team,`` said Plantation Fire Chief Robert Pudney. ``It`s too expensive.``

Instead of paying salaries, the fire department spends most of its $700,000 budget on equipment, training and operations, Pudney said.

Plantation`s four-year-old hazardous materials team is considered an essential part of the Fire Department, especially considering the potentially dangerous materials that are transported along the roadways or have industrial uses in this area, said Assistant Fire Chief Dave Casey.

Team members, some of whom are paid firefighters with other departments, have the know-how and gear to handle emergencies involving toxic or explosive substances, which can be harmful apart from anything or made more dangerous if combined with other materials, Casey said.

Also, when dangerous chemicals are involved in a blaze, the hazardous materials team can use firefighting strategies to prevent or reduce environmental damage from the fumes or water runoff, said Capt. Rich Picone, leader of Plantation`s hazardous materials team.

Considered an elite group within the department, the ``haz mat`` team, as it is called, must attend five drills each month -- two more a month than other firefighters, Picone said.

To qualify for the team, firefighters must complete a 40-hour course, pass a 100-question examination and be able to perform tasks in an encapsulated, chemical-resistant suit, Picone said.

Despite time demands and dangerous duties, volunteers for this special 25- person unit are not lacking, Picone said.

The opportunity to increase their skills and understanding of emergencies is what attracts firefighters to the team.

``It`s intriguing,`` said Lt. Barry Sterns, who has been with the fire department about seven years. ``It`s a different aspect of firefighting.``

Lt. Russell Accardi said the appeal of working on the team is ``being able to utilize the experience and the training to help people in a situation that could be catastrophic.``